Runway Takeoff
by Hero Memory
Summary: Amy's ready to lift right up into the air when Sonic grudgingly agrees to a date, but Sonic's suffering from vertigo. After all, he only agreed because he lost a bet. It's going to take a little unlikely help from Eggman to take this relationship to the sky. That is, unless he takes his attack too far and kills them both. Sonamy.
1. Flames of a Dying Sun

I started this story a while ago but decided to finish it a a week ago. I was in the need for some Sonamy. This was supposed to be a oneshot, but it's kind of funny how 2,000 words can become more than 8,000. So there will be a few chapters.

Disclaimer: _Sonic the Hedgehog, Amy Rose_, etc. belong to their respective owners, none of which are me.

* * *

My face flushed with the heat of the fire dancing only a few feet away. It licked at my fur, singeing the lovely pink to the color of coal. Tears burned in my eyes, and I choked on the soot-saturated air. I never imagined my first date ending like this, in my death. Maybe in danger—that always seemed to be around—but not death.

Though I could barely see through my tear-filled eyes, I felt a hand tightly take mine and deep green eyes captured my gaze. "We're going to make it, Amy," Sonic said, his voice hoarse for the smoke. "I promise we'll make it through this."

The way he said that, I believed we would make it through. Whether we would make it through _alive_ was a different matter entirely.

OoOoO

**_Eight Hours Earlier_**

"I am not doing this!" Sonic complained again. He collapsed on the couch after his earlier erratic dash around the house. He struggled to burn off the steam of the frustration before he had a nervous breakdown.

Knuckles laughed, flipping past another channel on the television. "It's not my fault; you lost the bet."

Sonic groaned. "Oh c'mon, Knuckles. I'll do anything else."

Tails looked at the pair of them. His young face looked strangely old as he gave Sonic a no-nonsense glare. "Sonic, you can't back out now. You already agreed to Amy's date."

Sonic put his hand over his face. "Please don't say it out loud! It's bad enough without actually saying it."

"Where are you taking her?" Knuckles mocked, a sneer unhidden on his face.

"I don't know. I don't have the first IDEA what you even do on a date!" Sonic said. He slipped only further down in his seat as if hoping the couch would swallow him whole. He glanced up at Knuckles. "Seriously, it was a stupid bet. It shouldn't even count…."

"Oh, it counts all right," Knuckles said, obviously quite proud of himself. "It's not my fault you couldn't stay underwater for thirty seconds. Guess you hate water more than you hate Amy!"

"I don't _hate_ her," Sonic corrected. He surprised himself, being so quick to her defense. "It's just…well…you know her!"

Sonic's head buzzed with thoughts of Amy. She was always filled with seemingly boundless energy. And while she acted cheerful like the child she still was, even if just barely, Sonic knew what angry ferocity could spark in those green eyes. If she ever found out the date was made because of a lost bet, she'd kill him in his sleep. He imagined her clutching his arm until it cut off his circulation, chattering on about how many kids they were going to have while staring at him with star-struck eyes. Sonic looked at Tails with a pale face. "You know where my will is, right?"

Tails smiled. "It's going to be fine, Sonic. What's the worst that could happen?"

Knuckles failed to smother his snicker, not that he was trying. "Did you forget about the hammer? Say one wrong word and you're going to be black on top of being blue."

Sonic gave a nervous half-smile. "She can't catch me with my speed."

"You won't escape her grip!" Knuckles exclaimed before erupting in laughter.

Sonic groaned again. Why had he made that stupid bet? Knuckles was just guarding the Master Emerald, and it wasn't that Sonic _couldn't_ not mess with him; it was just way too tempting. Sonic just took it too far when Knuckles decided he needed some amusement and attacked Sonic's pride. It all came down to a bet: Sonic had to stay underwater for at least thirty seconds. Sonic's win? Knuckles would take back all he had said about Sonic being a coward. Knuckles's win? Sonic had to accept Amy's offer the next time she asked for a date.

Sonic stayed under for less than ten seconds.

And now Sonic was stuck in this stupid situation. He had never even cared about Knuckles calling him a coward. Sonic just wanted to see the look on Knuckles's face when Sonic made him eat his words. Instead, Sonic had to go on a date with the only girl too persistent to escape from.

xXx

"And then he looked down at my brand new shoes and said yes," Amy recollected to her captive audience of two.

"Oh, Amy, I'm so happy for you!" Cream exclaimed.

"Ch-chao!" Cheese added.

Amy twirled a circle on the vanilla-colored carpet of her living room. "I just knew he'd say yes eventually! If I had known he just didn't like my shoes, I would have replaced them months ago!"

Admittedly, Amy knew her new shoes barely differed from her old ones. Just a bright red bow on the outside of each one. But Amy supposed that Sonic liked the bow significantly more than no bow; he had always been quirky. Cream begged, "Tell us again the way he said yes; it's just so romantic!"

Amy grinned. "He got so bright red, like he was so lucky I even asked. He glanced back at Tails , and I just knew he was scared. Almost in shock. He needed Tail's permission before he looked back at me, and then he couldn't meet my eyes, which was so cute! And then he mumbled 'yes' in this really low voice which was so…cool."

Cream sighed. "You two are so perfect together!"

"I know, right?" Amy's heart fluttered in her chest, her body lighter than air. She closed her eyes, savoring the moment he said yes with her whole soul.

"What are going to wear?" Cream asked eagerly. Amy could see her own excitement shared by Cream in the young bunny's glittering eyes.

Amy paused a moment, looking down at her red dress. She took it in her hand and examined the fabric as though a riddle was sewn in the thread, waiting to tell her what Sonic would most like seeing her wearing. "Maybe a different hairband; I have one with a bow on it that'll match my shoes perfectly! But my dress…" Amy took another twirl, letting her dress flutter around her. "…I think this one will be perfect." She allowed herself another shining grin. "Sonic always smiles at me when I wear this."

As far as Amy could remember, Sonic was almost always smiling at her. Except maybe when Amy was in danger; then he just looked scared and _really _angry. She sighed. He loved her so much and now he was finally unafraid enough to admit it. Of course Sonic had been too afraid to admit his love before; it was a big step that Sonic didn't take lightly. Amy admired the nobility of Sonic's love. Now that he had finally decided that his love was true, Amy was thrilled. After this date, they would be together forever! Amy could only imagine the amazing dates that would follow this one: ice cream, a walk in the park, an amazing—not to mention fancy—dinner…. And then, someday, they'd get married and have two kids. Or maybe five. They would have to discuss that later.

Amy tried to slow down the heart beating heavily in her chest. She had to calm down; Sonic might be fast, but that only meant his thoughts moved so quickly that he would forget all the plans Amy had as soon as she told him.

Cream continued the interview excitedly, "Where do you think Sonic's taking you?"

Amy dropped down on the couch next to Cream and stared dreamily up at the ceiling. "He said it would be a surprise. I bet it'll be a big adventure! Sonic loves them so much, and I know he'd love to share that with me."

Amy imagined clinging onto Sonic for dear life as he sped the two of them across a wide meadow just as night fell. That would be so romantic…

"I hope you have a good time!" Cream said. "Sonic's so nice, I bet he'll make you really happy."

"I know he will," Amy said, turning her bright eyes to her young friend. "Destiny says that we're meant to be so there's no way anything can go wrong!"

xXx

"You can't stand at the door with him, Knuckles!" Tails insisted. "It would hurt Amy's feelings if she knew that Sonic's only going out with her because of a bet."

"The point is my amusement, not hers," Knuckles said with a grin.

Sonic glared at Knuckles out of the corner of his eye as the three of them walked down the street toward Amy's apartment. "Just because I'm going to be miserable doesn't mean she has to be."

Sonic ached to turn and sprint off the way he came. Or the way he was going. Or over the freaking rooftops. Just…away from Amy and the date. Instead, he walked steadily down the street toward his doom. As much as he knew that this was going to be just about the most miserable night of his life, he knew that it would matter to Amy. She may drive him crazy, but he hated to see her frown.

The sun glowed just over the horizon, turning the edge of the sky a wild orange color. It glared painfully in Sonic's eyes. He had the feeling that Amy would spend at least an hour raving about how beautiful a time of day it was, though even he believed it to be beautiful. They were going to have to find a way to enjoy it. So far, that was the only hint as to what he had planned for the date.

"Either way, I'm still watching this," Knuckles said. "I won fair and square, and I want to enjoy my reward of watching Sonic's misery."

Sonic rolled his eyes. The longer Knuckles spoke, the more Sonic regretted the bet. Never again would he allow himself to become so bored that it drove him to messing with Knuckles. That is, if he survived the night with Amy.

They stopped outside of Amy's apartment, and Tails offered Sonic a reassuring smile. "You know you're pretty much making Amy's night, right?"

Sonic sighed, looking at the ground beneath him. "Yeah, yeah."

"Just remember that," Tails said, "and you'll get through the night with minimal damage."

Sonic's eyes shot back to Tails's face. "Damage? What kind of damage?"

Tails just shook his head, smiling gently at his adopted big brother. "Don't tell her that it was a bet, okay? That should keep you alive." A grin flashed across Tails's face. "And good luck. You're going to need it."

Sonic grinned weakly, but it faded quickly. "Yeah, I'm going to die tonight." And with Knuckles's laughter ringing in his ears, he entered the building and climbed the stairs to Amy's apartment.

* * *

This is unlike how I typically write, but I enjoy the style. If you want to see more like this, leave me a review. In the meantime, if you're looking for more Sonamy, check out some of my other writing, particularly _Frenzy_ and _Metarex Rule_. Until the next chapter!


	2. Look Before You Leap

In front of Amy's door, Sonic took a deep steadying breath. He felt almost dizzy with the stress and his heart beating somewhere in his throat shook his entire body with each violent pound. With a shaking hand, he reached out and rapped at Amy's door. He heard a startled squeal from behind the door, and his face flushed. He wished Amy wasn't so excited about this…it was going to be hard enough without her thinking Sonic was ready to get married. "One minute!" Amy called in sing-song.

Sonic's stomach dropped out. He feared what might be happening on the other side of the door. That girl could be dressing for a debutante ball for all he knew. When this was over, Knuckles would wish he had never dared to bet.

The door flew open to reveal Amy with a glittering smile on her face. Sonic braced himself for the hug she was no doubt going to suffocate him in, but to his surprise, she just stood there smiling. Sonic took in her appearance. It wasn't like she had changed much, just a different ribbon among her spines, but she seemed like a different girl. It wasn't overeager obsession on her face but genuine happiness. Sonic's eyes widened. How was he supposed to respond to that? Now he felt horrible; this wasn't a legitimate date and Sonic didn't want to be but never had Amy looked so happy. "Hi!" she said cheerfully.

"Hi," Sonic said, thrown off his game.

An awkward silence passed and both of them stood there without a word to say. Finally, Sonic cleared his throat and said nervously, "You look nice."

"Thanks," she replied, closing the door behind her. She reached out and took his hand. "So where are going?"

Sonic gritted his teeth. "Uh…it's a surprise."

"Okay," Amy said, staring up at Sonic's face with admiring eyes.

Sonic quickly looked away, feeling sick. "C'mon," he mumbled.

As they walked down the stairs, Amy threaded her fingers in with Sonic's silently. Sonic's face burned, he prayed Amy's eyes weren't on him. They stepped outside, and Amy gasped happily. She stared up at the orange sky in wonder. "It's so beautiful!" she praised.

"Yeah," Sonic agreed but realized he had nothing more to say. He glanced up the street to see Knuckles standing at the corner of an alley roaring with silent laughter. Sonic shot a venomous glare his way and blushed only more violently. "Let's go for a walk," Sonic said lamely, pulling Amy along with him on the sidewalk.

Amy glanced up at his face with a smile. "This is the perfect night for a walk, don't you think?"

"Sure," he said, wishing said perfect night could move at sonic speed and be over already.

"I always hoped that our first date would happen on a beautiful night," Amy continued, needing no more of a reply for permission to continue. "I know how much you like being outside so I always thought a night like this would make you happy."

"I guess it does," Sonic said, caught off guard from Amy's thoughtfulness. Obsession, sure, but kindness? This was a side of Amy he never expected to see. "Sunset's a cool time for a run," Sonic tried.

"Why's that?"

Sonic grinned. "The sun hits everything which casts the coolest shadows and the entire world feels like it's starting to relax. The air is cool and it feels amazing when you're on a run."

"That sounds wonderful!" Amy sighed. "Is that your favorite time to run?"

Sonic shrugged. "I don't know. Nights are pretty cool, at least when the moon's really bright. But if it's dark, it's more dodging trees than anything."

"But doesn't that scare you? If you run into a tree when you're moving really fast, you could get hurt, couldn't you?"

"I guess so," Sonic said. "But it's not like it scares me. It's more fun with the trees because you can only get past them if you're as fast as me."

Sonic found himself smiling. At least he knew all about running. It was definitely an improvement over talking about children that Amy seemed to believe they were going to have in the near future.

"Maybe you could take me running," Amy said meekly. "I mean, not for our lives; we've done that before. But maybe you could show me what it's like to run for fun sometime."

Sonic looked down at Amy. "Really?"

She nodded. "You say it's a lot of fun so why shouldn't I try it?"

Sonic grinned. Maybe they had more in common than he thought. "Then maybe we could talk about some names I've been thinking about for our kids," Amy continued eagerly.

Sonic sighed. Then again, maybe not.

xXx

As Amy walked hand in hand with Sonic through the public park, she could not stop glancing up at Sonic's face. He seemed so nervous, like he wasn't really sure what he should be doing on a date. So she tried to stay relatively gentle, sticking mostly to topics that Sonic might understand. Now that she knew he liked her, it was just a matter of showing him they had something in common.

Sonic did not look down at his date, and Amy chewed on her lip, wondering why. She wished she could tell him not to be nervous, but that would only make him insecure. So she just kept talking. About running, her favorite adventures, the best types of weather, and yes, for a short while the names of their future children. But only because she wanted to make sure he got a say when it came down to it.

Several times, Amy caught Sonic glancing back over his shoulder and scowling. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

He looked back at her with wide eyes. "What? Why would something be wrong?" He glanced away. Amy followed his gaze and noticed a food cart not far off. "Why don't we get something to eat?" he said quickly.

"Oh…okay," Amy said. A food cart wasn't exactly her idea of romantic, but at least it might make Sonic a little more comfortable.

She watched Sonic's face brighten as he realized the food cart sold chilidogs, proceeding to buy six of the things. Her heart fell. As sad as it was, Sonic looked far more excited about the abundance of food than his first date with Amy. Maybe she was just being silly; it was food and Sonic was, after all, a guy. So she accepted the chilidog Sonic bought for her and sat down on a bench with him to eat it.

Sonic finished the first chilidog in less than a minute and sighed happily. "And here I was thinking that I'd regret this. Knuckles will be disappointed."

A sharp pain stabbed through Amy's heart. She glared at Sonic. "What do you mean? Why would you regret this and why would Knuckles care?"

Sonic opened his mouth to answer but no words came out. He closed it again, and then tried the words once more. Yet again, he failed and closed his mouth. He looked as shocked as a deer in headlights, his eyes nearly as large as the headlights. He tried again and finally words came out. "I…I don't know. I was just…you know…worried that the date wouldn't end well. And Knuckles, he didn't believe it would go well. You know how critical he can be."

Amy stared at Sonic for a long time. She knew something was off, but she had no real reason to accuse Sonic of doing something wrong. Eventually, she sighed and turned away. For now, she would have to believe him. "That's too bad," she said softly. "I hope that the date is fun for you too."

"Yeah, it is," Sonic said quickly, practically shoving the next chilidog down his throat to avoid having to say anything.

Amy looked at him again, watching his face carefully. Was Sonic lying? Never before had Sonic agreed to go on a date with her. He usually just rolled his eyes and, before Amy could say anything else, ran off. So why would he say yes now? She narrowed her eyes and glanced back over her shoulder.

And then she saw it.

Knuckles sat up in a tree not far off, laughing like he was having the time of his life. Amy's face flushed with anger. She turned on Sonic, and her movement was so quick that it caught Sonic's attention. As soon as he saw the anger on her face, his eyes widened in what Amy could only assume was fear. Good, he should be scared. "Why is Knuckles watching us and laughing?" she snapped.

Sonic glanced back over his shoulder, but only for an instant before his eyes were back on Amy's face. "I…dunno," he said, hesitating.

Amy jumped to her feet. "You do know, don't you? Don't you dare lie to me, Sonic the Hedgehog!" She leaned in close so that she was only inches from Sonic's face. "_Why did you agree to go on a date with me?_"

Sonic opened and closed his mouth, desperately searching for an answer. "_Well?_" Amy asked loudly.

Suddenly, Amy heard terrified screams behind her and the crashing of buildings. Amy did not so much as turn around; she had eyes only for Sonic. Sonic, on the other hand, immediately jumped to his feet. His eyes flickered between Amy and the city behind her.

And then he ran past her.

She gritted her teeth and spun around. "SONIC!" she shrieked after him.

And beneath the beautiful green trees shadowed as the fading sunlight struck their trunks, Sonic stopped. He actually stopped. He turned back to Amy, his entire face covered in an eerie shadow. "I lost a bet, okay?" he shouted.

Sonic didn't wait to see Amy's face, but spun immediately and ran toward the city where the screams only continued to increase in volume. Amy stood rooted to the spot, staring at the shadow where Sonic stood only moments ago. It felt like her body weighed a thousand pounds, but it was the sort of heaviness that would not let her drop to her knees. She couldn't feel her knees anymore. Instead, she stood completely frozen and numb to the world. Her heart hurt too much to truly comprehend the pain.

A bet. He only went out with her because he lost a bet. Embarrassment wasn't the word for this. She didn't care so much about the embarrassment. It was the heartbreak.

Her senses numbed so dramatically that she didn't hear the heavy footsteps of the massive robot coming up behind her. Steel arms wrapped around her body, lifting her off the ground, and she gasped in shock, words failing her at the moment. She twisted her body in its arms and screamed loudly. The robot only grasped her tighter, cutting off her voice. She cringed in pain, her eyes filling with tears at the onslaught of emotions she was unprepared to handle. She heard the buzz of an engine and coughed as smoke filled her lungs. Next thing she knew, she rose high above the ground.

"AMY!"

Amy opened her eyes to look down at the ground and saw Sonic speeding toward them. She recognized that expression, his dangerous eyes, his gritted teeth. His muscles tensed throughout his body, and he looked ready to kill. Sonic leapt into the air. He thrust his hands up high above his head, but even then he couldn't gather enough height to brush the bottom of Amy's shoe.

Amy watched as Sonic fell back to the ground, his face full of horror and fury. But instead of his face making her feel like she actually mattered to him, that he really worried about her, like it usually did, her heart only weighed down more in her chest. All fight left her body and she waited limply in the robots arms as it carried her to its leader.

* * *

And it was only a matter of time before things went horribly wrong! I hope you enjoyed the latest installment. This chapter was definitely difficult to write, but I'm happy with the result. Please review! I'll update again soon. Until next time!


	3. Playing the Hero

Sonic knew he should run after the robot, but instead he froze and watched in horror as it carried Amy away. She wasn't fighting in its arms, screaming his name. The blood in Sonic's veins ran cold when he saw that she seemed resigned to the whole thing. He couldn't believe it.

This was _Amy_. She made herself as much of a problem as possible. Sonic imagined that even Eggman questioned his decisions to make her the damsel-in-distress. But she wasn't even fighting.

"What did I _do?_" Sonic asked himself, eyes wide. Could he really have done this to her? It was just a stupid date, a stupid bet. It didn't mean _anything_. And yet Amy looked like the truth had killed her. Sonic gritted his teeth, kicking himself for being so stupid.

"Sonic!" someone shouted, and Sonic turned to see Knuckles running toward him.

Sonic glared at him, but the expression quickly faded. This was his fault, not Knuckles's. Sonic was the one who accepted the bet, who broke Amy's spirit. "This stinks of Eggman," Knuckles said.

Sonic nodded curtly. "Think you can clean up here?" Sonic said.

Knuckles shrugged. "Yeah; where do you think you're going?"

"He took Amy."

Knuckles grinned. "Of course he did."

Sonic shook his head. "She could have knocked that robot out of the sky, and she didn't even fight. I hurt her, more than I ever knew I could." Sonic took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. "I have to save her, not just from Eggman, but from me. And the only way I can do that is to go after her alone."

"You know she'll forgive you," Knuckles said, rolling his eyes. "She always does."

Sonic didn't reply. He only stared at the sky for a few more moments before running off to follow the trail of smoke the robot had left behind in the darkening sky.

He felt the temperature beginning to drop as the sun dipped below the horizon, leaving only a trail of pink across the sky. Sonic prayed the trail of smoke didn't suddenly change directions on him because in moments it would be impossible to see. As he reached the outskirts of the city, buildings changed to trees. Sonic grinned. Tree-running; it was time for some fun.

Sonic rushed at the trees, pushing off the trees for acceleration. In the darkness, Sonic didn't see the trees until the last second, requiring him to throw his entire body weight to change directions. The roots beneath his feet tried to trip him up, but Sonic ran across them like they were nothing more than perfectly level ground.

Sonic recalled what he had said to Amy earlier that night. He had told Amy about his favorite time to run, about his love of running among the thick forest of trees. He felt his face burn. Things went so wrong. Even if it was all for a bet, Sonic couldn't deny that all he wanted was for Amy to have a good time. Sonic felt like such an idiot for playing with her heart, for making it nothing more than a bet. Sonic narrowed his eyes. He sincerely doubted he would ever be able to make it up to her.

Sonic crashed out from the cover of the trees and into a clearing illuminated by moonlight. At its center stood a towering building crafted out of sleek metal. Sonic slowed to a walk, glaring up at the massive structure. Sonic searched the sky for the tell-tale smoke trail, but several trails of smoke twirled around the building. The tower stood many stories high into the air. Pipes jetted out from the sides. Sonic couldn't imagine how he had never seen the structure before now; it was as though it had popped up out of nowhere.

Sonic's hands tightened into fists at his sides. _Doesn't matter_, he told himself. _If Amy's inside, it'll go down all the same_.

Suddenly, a siren wailed and red lights flashed on along the building walls. _I'm surprised it took him that long_, he thought, but no smirk flashed across his face.

xXx

Amy sat on the icy metal floor in silence, surrounded by the bars of her prison. Her fingers trailed along the bars. She dimly considered whether her hammer would be enough to take them down. But she didn't bother getting to her feet. She knew she had to play her part as damsel-in-distress. Sonic would save her.

Amy sighed sadly. For once in her life, she was not anxious to see him. When he came crashing through the door, playing the hero, she knew his dark expression would not be out of worry for the girl he loved. Did he love her at all? She wondered if she would ever be allowed to know for sure. The bet could have been what pushed him closer to the girl he was attracted to or it could have been a game to make Sonic as miserable as possible.

Silent tears ran down Amy's cheeks. This wasn't supposed to happen. How could Sonic ever do this to her? He was supposed to be her knight in shining armor; she was not his plaything.

She narrowed her eyes, pulling herself to her feet. Well, if he wasn't going to be her knight in shining armor, she sure as heck wasn't going to be his damsel in distress. She could be her own hero. Her hammer appeared in her outstretched hand and she weighed it in her grip. Her heart beat heavily in her chest, and her muscles burned hot beneath her skin. A smirk flashed to her face. Time to have a little fun.

Amy swung her hammers at the bars, tearing them away like they were nothing more than foam board. She grinned at the amount of damage she caused and stepped out of her prison. The moment her foot hit the ground on the other side, a siren erupted, shrieking loudly in her ears. She winced as the noise caused her actual pain. Eggman's voice blared through the building over a loudspeaker, "Category one hedgehog alert! Secure the prisoner and prepare for attack."

Looked like Sonic was on his way. Despite herself, Amy's heart lifted in her chest and felt as light as a feather. It seemed that even with Amy's resolution to ignore her need for Sonic, her heart had different ideas. She smiled. "Just my luck," she whispered. "I'm stuck with that crazy hedgehog, aren't I?"

A robot crashed through the door in front of her, pointing its weapon-equipped arm at Amy. With that, Amy remembered the other part of Eggman's alert. "Right, secure the prisoner," she said, backing slowly away from the robot. "That's me, isn't it?"

* * *

Amy cannot stop getting herself into trouble, can she? I hope you enjoyed this chapter; the first half of it was especially fun to write. Sorry that I'm late on my update of my story Metarex Rule, by the way; it's going to need some major edits. In the meantime, review this chapter, and I'll update again soon!


	4. Leap of Faith

Sonic poured on the speed as he ran through the halls of Eggman's base. Eggman's announcement only made him accelerate. _Secure the prisoner, huh?_ Sonic thought. _Bet she already broke out. Good luck with that, Egghead_.

Robots stomped across Sonic's path, pointing their weapons toward the hedgehog. But before they could even think about firing, Sonic knocked them violently to the ground and continued on his way. In the back of his mind, Sonic wondered about Eggman's plans. Obviously he had some reason for kidnapping Amy. But Sonic's curiosity would have to wait. Right now, the only thing that mattered was rescuing Amy; Eggman would just have to wait his turn.

"Sonic, you may want to wait just a minute," Eggman taunted over the speakers.

"Yeah? Why?" Sonic shouted, unsure if Eggman could actually hear him.

"Why don't you turn your eyes over to the monitor and I'll show you," Eggman said cheerfully, his voice echoing eerily down the corridor.

Television screens lining the walls flashed on, and Sonic slowed to a stop in front of one of them. Amy glared at a massive robot, many times larger than herself. The hammer in her hand looked like a toothpick compared to the metallic monstrosity. Sonic narrowed his eyes. Amy didn't scream Sonic's name but looked like she was perfectly ready to fight the robot on her own, but how the heck was she going to do that? Sonic wasn't even sure he could take out something like that all on his own, not without the Chaos Emeralds.

"What do you want, Eggman?" Sonic shouted.

"The usual, of course," Eggman said with a laugh. "Your surrender. Do that, and I'll let your precious girlfriend go free unharmed."

Eggman's words burned more than usual. Sonic's heart skipped a beat at the word 'girlfriend.' Sonic took a deep breath, trying to keep himself calm so he wouldn't make a reckless decision. Amy needed his help, of course, but he couldn't just surrender. That wasn't his style. So after a long moment, he grinned. "Amy can take care of herself, Egghead. She could knock you right out of the sky!"

Amy glanced around at the sound of Sonic's voice, and Sonic realized she could hear him. "I'm coming for you, Amy!" he shouted. "Count on it!"

Amy grinned and a tremor ran through Sonic's body. "You'd better!" she exclaimed.

Sonic's smile brightened. Did that mean he was forgiven? He doubted it. If anything, she just wanted to give him a piece of her mind sooner rather than later. Sonic rolled his eyes. Same old Amy. But he'd take it.

He sprinted off down the hall as Eggman warned, "Do you really think you can save her? You don't even know where she is."

"Amy, scream for me, will you?"

At Sonic's comment, the video screens cut out, but Sonic knew the damage was done. "SONIC!" Amy shouted as loud as she could. Her voice reverberated in the wide hallways, but Sonic could hear her, which was all he needed. It might be a massive facility, but if he could hear her then she couldn't be far.

"AMY!" Sonic shouted, hoping she would answer him again.

Amy shrieked, but instead of his name, what came out was unintelligible. She was in danger. But now Sonic knew exactly where to find her. He crashed through a door to the right and entered the massive room he had seen before on the screens in the hallway.

And he froze.

The robot seemed even larger in person. Built to look like a massive bomb with arms and legs, the robot stood at least four stories high. But it only got worse from there. No longer did the robot tower over Amy; Amy had been snatched up in its hand and she was now held tightly four stories above the ground. Sonic tensed, unsure of his next move. He wasn't sure if he would be able to take out the robot even if Amy wasn't in danger, but with one wrong move, Amy could fall to her death.

Amy's eyes met his and a chill ran down his spine. What was he supposed to do to save her? Amy had to be able to see his wide eyes, his panicked expression. She had to know that he couldn't see a way to both take out the robot and save her life. He mouthed her name, a weight settling into his gut. _What am I supposed to do?_ he thought desperately. There had to be something; Amy couldn't just die here.

"Don't stop now!" Amy shouted. "You always liked a challenge!"

A shockwave ran through Sonic's body. A challenge, like the tree running Sonic told her about. Dangerous and that was exactly why you had to be good. A leap of faith, banishing fear away. Like it took to run.

Like it took Amy to love Sonic.

Sonic smirked. "Better believe it!" Sonic leapt into the air, throwing himself at the robot. The robot, however, apparently wasn't going to stand by and let itself go down. It thrust out its free fist, making contact with Sonic's body. The impact threw him back into the wall with a crash. But the smirk didn't leave his face. Amy needed more than a grim faced hero now; she needed the Sonic she loved, and Sonic sure as heck was going to give her that.

He pushed himself from the wall, dropping back down to the ground. He dashed forward. The robot sent out its fist again, but Sonic jumped into the air so it just missed. He pulled himself into a ball and spun impossibly fast. He thrust his body at the robot and impacted its center. The robot stumbled back, losing its center of gravity for a brief moment. It wheeled its arms to try to regain its balance, and its grip on Amy slipped. Sonic uncurled in time to see Amy take her hammer and smash it into the robots fingers. It lost its grip entirely, and Amy fell. "Amy!" Sonic shouted. Without a second thought, he dived off the robot, spinning to accelerate and reach the ground before Amy. He landed beneath her and caught her in his arms. She glanced around dazed for a moment before her eyes landed on Sonic. "You saved me," she said with a smile.

"I always do," he said, setting her down on the ground. Though he wanted to talk to her about what had happened, there was still the matter of the robot that he had to handle. It had regained its balance and now turned toward them.

Sonic tensed and prepared for his next move. But the robot stood still. "What's it waiting for?" Amy whispered.

Sonic slowly shook his head, his eyes never leaving the robot. "I…." He cut off, noticing the slight change in the robot's color. The cold black color faded slowly to a dark red and lightened from there.

"It's changing color?" Amy said.

_Why is it…oh, crap, _Sonic thought. _Eggman made it to look like a __**bomb**_.

By that point, the robot had turned a bright white that burned his eyes. Sonic spun quickly, grabbed Amy, and pulled her into a nook inside the wall. He covered her with his own body and before Amy could comment, the robot exploded.

Sonic closed his eyes tight as the eruption hit painfully against his eardrums. He pushed his body tighter over Amy. Her fur brushed against his, and despite the heat burning him and the smoke clogging his lungs, it was Amy's fur that Sonic was most aware of.

The sound slowly faded away, and Sonic realized that the cover had miraculously done its job. Neither of them seemed to be injured in the slightest. He pulled slowly away from Amy and looked back at the room. His eyes widened in horror. Behind him, Amy coughed on the smoke in the air. She asked, "Is it gone?"

"Yeah," Sonic said simply.

"Then why do you sound so scared?" she asked. Sonic felt her slowly turning behind him.

Sonic watched the flames dancing in the room in front of them, covering every possible path of escape. "I'm not scared," he lied.

* * *

And with that, we near our conclusion. Only one chapter left, but it certainly seems like Sonic and Amy are in danger. Thank you so much for reading, and please review! Next time, the exciting conclusion!


	5. Close Your Eyes

The heat burned Amy's face and the smoke filled her lungs. She stared at the massive fire covering the entire floor of the room in front of her. She could barely breathe for reasons other than the smoke saturating the air. The flames flared and danced wildly, and she felt it singe her fur. Tears burned in her eyes but the heat quickly forced them to evaporate. Sonic turned to look at her suddenly, taking her hand fiercely in his own. "We're going to make it, Amy," Sonic said, his voice hoarse for the smoke. "I promise we'll make it through this."

_But are we going to make it out alive?_ Amy wondered in silence.

She never imagined her first date would end in her death. The whole Eggman interference was nothing new; she could never be bothered by something so common. But maybe she and Sonic were never meant to be. Fate seemed to be determined to keep them apart, even if it had to kill them both to do it.

"Amy, look at me," Sonic said in a low voice.

Amy pulled her eyes away from the flames and back to Sonic's face. He looked her directly in the eye. "Amy, I will save you," he promised. "I'm the hero, right?"

Amy nodded slowly. Sonic pulled Amy into his arms, lifting her off of the ground bridal style. Amy instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck. He smiled down at her, and Amy felt the corners of her lips lifting. Her heart lightened. As usual, Sonic made her feel like she was flying.

Sonic backed up so his back pressed up against the wall and he faced the flames. He took a deep breath, though Amy couldn't imagine that helped much. Her shallow breaths hurt her lungs and throat. She looked up at Sonic's face. What did he plan on doing? But Amy realized she wasn't afraid. This was Sonic. No matter how stupid or reckless he could be, there was a reason Amy liked him. And it wasn't only because he was a hero. He was smart, he was determined, and if he said he could do something, he would do it. So now, Amy watched Sonic's face instead of the flames and forced herself to breathe slowly. Sonic would get them out of there, just like he said.

Sonic took a few steps toward the flames and turned his back to them. Amy felt the flames licking and singeing her fur. She tensed her muscles and pressed her face into Sonic's chest. Sonic took two running steps forward before leaping into the air. Amy's eyes flew open in surprise. They hurtled toward the wall Sonic had pressed them against during the robot's explosion. Sonic tilted his body so that his feet hit the wall. He bent his knees and pushed himself off the wall so that the next thing Amy knew, they soared above the flames.

Amy's jaw dropped, and she tightened her grip around Sonic's neck. She stared in awe at the ravenous flames beneath them. Though smoke clogged the air, Amy gasped. Despite the danger beneath them, Amy couldn't help but see the beauty in that moment. The bright lights, the sensation of flying, Sonic's body pressed against hers. Maybe this really was the date she had always imagined.

Until she realized their only exit was hidden behind a wall of flame.

"SONIC!" she screamed.

"Close your eyes," he said.

She squeezed her eyes shut, not knowing what that would help. "And hold on as tight as you can," he said.

Sonic's hand left her back so that the only thing keeping Amy from falling to the hungry flames was her grip on his neck. They slammed into a wall and a sharp pain pierced Amy's body. But they didn't fall. Slowly, nervously, Amy opened her eyes. The arm Sonic had removed from Amy's back held on a bar attached horizontally to the wall. He kicked the wall a few times until a hole opened up in the metal. He swung them through the hole and into the hall outside.

Sonic set Amy down on the ground. Her legs shook beneath her. "We're alive," she said, almost surprised.

Sonic grinned. "Told you so." He offered her his hand. "Still got to get out of here, though. Ready to run?"

Amy smiled and accepted his gesture. "Always am. I have to be with you around."

Sonic dashed down the hall, Amy in tow, running slow enough that Amy could keep up. Amy knew that couldn't be easy for him. Her entire body warmed with the pure happiness that seemed to be flowing through her veins.

Eggman's robots piled in the hallways, and Sonic glanced back at Amy. She grinned, holding out her hammer for him to see. His eyes brightened. He released her hand, and they went to work. Amy swung her hammer, whipping through the robots like they were nothing. Sonic sliced through them like a saw without so much as breaking stride. When the robots cleared, Sonic took Amy's hand again and continued pulling her along down the hall.

Eggman seemed to have nothing to say as the speakers stayed quiet. Either that, or the massive explosion had done some damage to them. "Shouldn't we do something about Eggman?" she asked.

Sonic shrugged. "Nah, I think we can leave him to rebuild his damage today. We've got better things to do."

They ran out the doors of the facility without further obstructions. The icy air of nighttime hit Amy's face like the spray of ocean water. She drank it in greedily after the smoke filled room. The dark night was bathed in red lights from the facility, but all the sirens had fallen silent. Sonic slowed to a stop and pulled Amy into his arms again. She looked up at his face in confusion. He grinned at her. "I told you about the tree running, and you said you'd like to try it. How about now?"

Amy eyes widened, and she tightened her grip on Sonic's neck. "Okay," she said nervously, almost giddy. Sonic was really going to do this for her?

Sonic ran forward into the trees. Amy held her breath as Sonic weaved through the trees, dodging them with only milliseconds to spare. The darkness only quickened her heartbeat. Eventually, she closed her eyes tightly. She was too scared to watch anymore. She pressed her face into Sonic's fur and she heard him chuckle. Though her face was hidden, Amy smiled as well. This date couldn't have gone better.

Then Amy remembered the date was made on a bet. A cold chill slipped into her bloodstream. She tried to banish it away and savor the moment she did have with Sonic, regardless of the circumstances. But it was hard. It hurt to think that Sonic would only go out with her because he had to, not because he wanted to.

Sonic slowed, and Amy opened her eyes to see they had left the trees. Amy looked up at Sonic. "We need to talk," she said seriously.

Sonic sighed, nodding slowly. "I know."

Sonic slowed to a stop and placed Amy on the ground. They sat down beneath a tree at the edge of the forest. Amy took a deep breath. "You only went on a date with me because you lost a bet?"

"Yeah," Sonic muttered.

Amy looked away, her eyes burning with unshed tears. Then she turned back to him and snapped, "You know, you can really be stupid, Sonic the Hedgehog."

Sonic shrugged and actually allowed himself a smile. "You won't catch me denying that. But then again—" Sonic's smile widened. "—you won't catch me at all."

Amy rolled her eyes and hit his arm with the back of her hand. "That's not the point! Sonic, that was really stupid. Why would you do that?"

"Hey, Knuckles attacked my pride, that's reason enough."

Amy narrowed her eyes. "Really?" Sonic smirked, and Amy hit him again. "Sonic!"

"But you've got to admit," Sonic said quickly, "I did give you a first date you would never forget, right?"

Amy stared at Sonic a long time before answering. She remembered his eyes staring into hers as flames danced around her. She remembered his voice, promising her that she would be rescued. And she remembered his smile, every smile. Sonic could be stupid, really stupid, but she would always be her hero. He would always be the one that made her feel like she was flying. No matter what he did, she would always love him. "Fine," she said eventually, "I guess I can agree that it was…unforgettable. But that doesn't mean you're forgiven just yet."

Sonic shook his head, a resigned smile on his face. "Never thought I would be."

xXx

Sonic walked into the house, slamming the door behind him. "Made it back alive!" he called.

Tails ran down the stairs, stopping halfway down and leaning over the railing. "How'd it go? Knuckles told me about Eggman's attack. Is Amy okay?"

"She's fine; she's Amy. And she found out about the whole bet thing."

Tails's eyes widened. "You weren't supposed to tell her that! How'd she take it?" he asked, leaning father over so that Sonic feared he would take a head-first dive.

Sonic shrugged. "I'm not forgiven yet, but I'm still Sonic so it's only a matter of time. But I think the main reason she found out was because she saw Knuckles laughing from a tree in the park." Sonic shot a look down the hallway where the living room waited with the TV blaring.

"She saw him?" Tails's face brightened.

Sonic narrowed his eyes in confusion. "And why is that a good thing? If Eggman hadn't shown up and took the edge of her anger, I would be in pieces now."

Tails grinned mischievously, and it slowly dawned on Sonic. "What did you do?"

"Well, a couple of things. I kind of provoked Eggman a little. I thought that might make your date fun for more than just Amy."

"Really?" Sonic grinned at his little brother in disbelief and pride.

"But that's not all," Tails added. "I made a bet with Knuckles, that Amy would see him. And I guess he lost then."

"So…what did you bet on?"

Tails laughed. "Let's just say that when Knuckles asks Amy out, she'll get the payback she deserves."

xXx

Amy lay awake in bed that night, staring at the night sky through her window. She left it wide open so the cold air could pass over her. She loved the reminder of the tree-run, wrapped safely in Sonic's arms. Though some of her rose-colored fur had been blackened by the flames, she adored the reminder of the night.

She closed her eyes slowly, the image of the look in Sonic's burned on her eyelids. A smile grew on her face. Danger, some scars, laughs, and a whole lot of running. Amy could never have asked for more in her first date. As she drifted off to sleep, Sonic's words ran through her head. _"But you've got to admit, I did give you a first date you will never forget, right?"_

But it wasn't because of the danger Eggman caused or the beautiful walk in the park at sunset. It was because of Sonic; with him, she soared above the flames.

* * *

And with that, we reach the end of the story. Thank you so much for reading! And a special thanks to mszapata13, hot pink123, and TheBlueAlienRobotZombie for sticking with this story throughout its being uploaded. Another special thanks to DanceDream for your wonderful character analysis back in chapter one. All of you are so kind!

If you'd like to see more stories like this, please tell me! This has been a joy to write, and I hoped you all enjoyed it as much as me.


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